HYANNIS – The 16th edition of Housing Assistance Corporation’s Telethon for Hope is just a week away.
This year, the telethon will be held at a new venue as part of the Love Live Local’s LoveLocal Fest: Holiday Edition at Barnstable High School.
The Telethon for Hope will be held during the first day of this year’s LoveLocal Fest on Saturday, December 7 from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
The collaboration between HAC and Love Live Local encourages local residents to give and buy locally during this holiday season.
HAC Chief Development Officer Anne Van Vleck said the organization is excited to be partnering with Love Live Local.
“It seemed like a really natural partnership,” Van Vleck said.
Until this year, the telethon had always been held at the Cape Cod Community Media Center in Dennis Port. Last year, there was a second satellite location and viewing party at Cape Cod Beer in Hyannis.
“We really wanted to bring the telethon to the community of people who care so much about community, who want to shop locally and give locally, and just increase awareness,” Van Vleck said.
“And make it a fun, festive event, and bring it into current times.”
The telethon will continue to be produced by Cape Cod Community Media Center and will be streamed live online and broadcast on cable.
Van Vleck said they will also utilize social media and technology during the event, including a text-to-give feature.
The money raised during the telethon will help support HAC’s housing programs on Cape Cod and the Islands, including family shelters, homeless outreach efforts, homeless prevention programs and its other housing programs.
More than $80,000 was raised during HAC’s 15th telethon in 2018.
Amanda Converse, the Love Live Local CEO, was excited when Love Live Local was approached by HAC to host the telethon as part of the festival.
The festival, which now in its sixth year, will feature more than 125 local makers, artisans, businesses and restaurants. It is sponsored by Cape Cod 5 Cents Savings Bank and Michelle Kaye Photography.
The holiday show takes place at the Barnstable High School Gym and Field House. Hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 7 and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 8.
The event is free and open to the public, but there is a suggested minimum donation of $5 which will go to support both Housing Assistance Corporation and the Love Live Local Project Cape Made grant program.
The event will also include activities for children.
“We always like to bring exciting elements to our festivals and bring other community organizations in as well,” Converse said.
Love Live Local is primarily focused on supporting small business and educating consumers about the importance of shopping local.
“We also consider ourselves community advocates, and for that reason the partnership with Housing Assistance made complete sense because they are advocating for something so essential to our community, which is housing and affordable housing,” Converse said.
Converse said the organization was humbled when approached by HAC to partner on its telethon.
“We were also really excited to be able to introduce our customers and people attending the festivals to Housing Assistance for the first time or to the telethon in general,” Converse said.
Converse has always had a deep connection with HAC as her mother worked for the nonprofit for more than two decades.
“I have always been supportive of HAC’s initiatives to promote affordable housing on the Cape and to really support people as they navigate the housing market here,” she said.
Converse hopes the inclusion of the telethon, which is a big holiday season event on Cape Cod, will help the festival become iconic as well.
HAC is seeking telethon phone fundraisers to help raise funds for its programs the night of the event. Individuals and groups interested in fundraising can register at www.haconcapecod.org.
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